If the modern New Jersey Democrat party had a state motto, it might read: In Indictments We Trust.
More on that in a moment.
But if Democrat party politicians had a catchphrase, a chief contender would surely be: “Oversight!” shouted not as a governing principle but as a tactical excuse for chaos.
You should expect to hear it anytime the clown car pulls up and the shenanigans start.
Late last week the lead player in the Oversight Olympics was none other than California’s own Senator Alex Padilla, a man committed to proving that Adam Schiff isn’t the only Democrat west of the Sierra Nevada Range who can weaponize pomposity and confuse it for principle.
Padilla, apparently mistaking Homeland Security for open mic night at the Resistance Café, stormed into a DHS press event in Los Angeles where Secretary Kristi Noem was delivering prepared remarks about the federal response to the anti-ICE riots that have engulfed parts of the city.
He was not on the schedule. He was not wearing his Senate pin. And, crucially, he was not invited.
Since it was a press event, it is worth emphasizing that Padilla is not a member of the press.
In other words, he was a mulish interloper, to use a polite term. There is, of course, a more modern term for this sort of behavior, but I am making every effort to remain civil. This is, after all, a family column.
And this—believe it or not—is what passes for a senator from California these days. There are no Johnsons (Hiram, mind you), Stanfords, or Murphys to be found. Things have gone downhill since Alan Cranston—who, despite being staunchly liberal for his time, now seems almost normal. Boring, even. But compared to the recent fandangles representing what was once lovingly called the land of milk and honey—Zounds!
Padilla suddenly seems determined to out-Adam Schiff Adam Schiff, which is no small feat in the field of theatrical irrelevance. At this point, the Golden State’s only remaining export may be bad ideas wrapped in over-gelled hair—and not even the courtesy of a necktie.
Padilla didn’t look like a senator at all. He looked like some rando who wandered into the wrong breakout session at a Sheraton.
“Wait, you’re not here for the Southwest Barbershop Quartet Convention?”
“Oh—sorry. Wrong room.”
And to think—this was supposed to be “oversight.”
It seems that whenever a Democrat wants to barge into a place clearly closed off to them—whether by law, protocol, or basic adult behavior—they scream “oversight!” like it’s a universal backstage pass.
We’ve seen the routine: Maxine Waters trying to storm a detention center as if she were auditioning for Shawshank Redemption.
And just weeks ago, a new face entered the fray—Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey—who went viral not for passing legislation but for allegedly shoving officers and elbowing her way into a DHS facility, all while invoking congressional authority like a discount coupon.
She is now the latest congressional specimen from the Garden State to join a not-so-exclusive club.
In New Jersey politics, the fastest route to name recognition isn’t public service—it’s a federal indictment. And the choice ones? They end up in prison.
Senator Menendez, do you think this paragraph is about you?
Back to the senior senator from the Golden State. While the Beltway media tried to paint Padilla as a principled public servant—just a humble senator demanding answers at a federal press event—not everyone on the left bought the spin.
Enter Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who broke ranks and delivered a reality check with the force of an Acadian nor’easter.
“Storming into the FBI headquarters and trying to break up a press conference… is not really the job of an elected official,” Golden told Axios, calling Padilla’s antics what they were: “politics as theater.” Truth.
Golden isn’t exactly a firebrand—he just happens to live in the real world, where people still expect elected officials to act like professionals, not repurposed rejects from Ringling Bros.
Sadly, he is vastly outnumbered in his caucus.
Padilla could have sent a letter. He could have requested a briefing. He could have shown up with credentials, a Senate pin, and a working grasp of decorum.
Instead, he delivered a political hissy fit with all the poise of a delirious dolt denied backstage access to a Billie Eilish concert.
And now, having nearly been cuffed for his troubles, the usual suspects are praising him as a martyr of oversight—he even managed to saddle up for the obligatory dog and pony show on MSNBC in the aftermath.
Give it a week, and someone will nominate him for a Profile in Courage award, likely printed on a protest sign at the next Berkeley city council meeting.
Now, for all of you out there yelling totalitarianism, authoritarianism, fascism, or any of a number of -isms trending on TikTok—let’s get real.
This isn’t how the story ends for dissident politicians in an actual -ism-of-the-day regime. In those places, they don’t crash press events, go on TV, emote for social media, and then—slam, bam, thank you ma’am—start fundraising off it before the sun’s up the next day.
They disappear. For good.
If you fall for the hook, you’re dumber than you look.
Besides, maybe it’s a generational thing, but I don’t put a lot of stock in people crying about -isms. Ferris Bueller was spot on: “A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself.”
The progressive–resistance–Never Trump league of perpetual grievance can’t stick a sound bite without spitting out an -ism.
They don’t believe in themselves—and more importantly, they offer no reason why Americans should believe in them. Or believe them, period.
Padilla’s stunt wasn’t brave. It wasn’t even novel.
What it screamed was desperation—“Look at me!”—the primal howl of a liberal politician watching Gavin, Kamala, Schiff, Karen Bass, and even Judge Charles Breyer vacuum up all the headlines.
Padilla didn’t charge that podium for the Constitution. He did it because the spotlight was pointed elsewhere, and no one retweets anonymity.
To her credit, Secretary Noem showed real class, speaking with Senator Padilla privately for about 15 minutes after the fiasco—which, I must say, is roughly 14 minutes and 58 seconds longer than he deserved after his mischief.
I’ll leave it to your imagination how to fill those remaining two seconds. I’m still trying to keep appearances here. Once more, the Secretary showed who the grown-up was.
Here’s the thing some of our elected officials need to understand:
You are not a special sovereign class of citizens entitled to special treatment and privileges. It doesn’t work that way—remember, No Kings?
A senator isn’t entitled to show up unannounced at a press briefing and lunge toward the podium with whatever questions happen to be rattling around his cranium at that particular moment.
The same goes for White House briefings. Or detention centers. Or federal facilities protected by law enforcement officers with actual jobs to do.
There are protocols. There are procedures. There is a chain of command.
So, lose the sense of entitlement. Drop the prima donna routine.
Because at the end of the day, we don’t need more viral content.
We need grown-ups in the room.
Charlton Allen is an attorney and former chief executive officer and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and host of the Modern Federalist podcast. His commentary has been featured in American Thinker and linked across multiple RealClear platforms, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearWorld, RealClearDefense, RealClearHistory, and RealClearPolicy. X: @CharltonAllenNC
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